Fur'ever Homes Needed: Clever kitty finds his own way back home

PORT ST. LUCIE - Although the staff at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County has many opportunities to study animal behavior, even they are sometimes surprised at what they witness. Such was the case with Robin Fitzgerald, who works with shelter cats at the Port St. Lucie facility, and a cat named Malachi.

On Feb. 12, friends of Justin, the owner of Malachi, arrived at the shelter to file a lost report on the 9-year-old black cat, which was missing some fur in spots. Justin had temporarily left the cat in a friend's care, and Malachi escaped from that friend's home. Fitzgerald noticed that Justin's home was just blocks away from her own.

"I spoke to the friends for a while", recalled Fitzgerald, "and discovered how much Justin really missed Malachi. They said he had another cat and was staying really close to it and not letting it out of his sight."

As luck would have it, a raccoon had visited Fitzgerald's property about the same time, pushing through a bottom screen panel on the Fitzgeralds' front porch.

Two days after Malachi was reported missing, Fitzgerald's daughter called her into the living room, asking if one of their own cats, a black one, was out on the front porch.

"‘No,' I told her, and we opened the front door," said Fitzgerald. "The cat ran out the broken screen and stopped, turned around and meowed. We called to him and he walked right in, meowing and sitting next to us. Cold, hungry and confused, he allowed my daughter to put him in a carrier."

At 9:30 that evening, Robin drove to the shelter to settle the cat in and feed him. She saw he was an older, male cat that was missing fur in spots.

Hoping against hope, the shelter staff called Justin the next morning. Amazingly, the cat who found his way to Fitzgerald's home was Malachi, which is now safe and sound with Justin once again.

"I've got to admit it made me a little weepy," said Fitzgerald. "Seriously, what are the odds that I would speak to Justin, feel his anguish, and that Malachi would choose my front porch to seek shelter that night?"

Knowing the caring staff of this wonderful shelter, Robin, we don't believe the odds are as great as you might think.

This story is contributed by a member of the community and is neither endorsed nor affiliated with TCPalm.